St. Paul officer Josh Lynaugh laid to rest

Police Academy graduates from Officer Josh Lynaugh's class and his fellow officers from the Eastern District stand at attention as his casket is brought up the steps of the St. Paul Cathedral. (Pioneer Press: John Doman

St. Paul police officer Josh Lynaugh's father, who used to be a St. Paul sergeant himself, sent his son a letter each year about a son following in his father's footsteps.

Called "Advice to a son who follows" and written by a Texas police sergeant, the letter "captured Tim's (Lynaugh) feelings and mirrored his fatherly advice about how Josh should view policing, his safety, integrity, commitment to service, and his ethics," said Senior Cmdr. Joe Neuberger.

Tim Lynaugh last sent the letter to his 30-year-old son on the morning of Feb. 8, Neuberger said. That night, Josh Lynaugh suffered a heart attack after an on-duty foot chase. He died Saturday, Feb. 16, from complications of the heart attack.

Lynaugh's funeral at the Cathedral of St. Paul on Friday drew an estimated 800 people. It included full police honors because his death was considered as having occurred in the line of duty.

"Today, the lights of the city are a little more dim," said police Chief Thomas Smith. "Our hearts are more heavy. And our tears are difficult to hide, and that's OK."

Growing up with a police officer father, Lynaugh knew the dangers of the job more than most, but that didn't dampen his enthusiasm or his desire to make a difference, Smith said.

Lynaugh's family told the Rev. John Ubel, cathedral rector, that he expressed interest in law enforcement before his fourth birthday. Lynaugh initially wanted to grow up to be a police dog, Ubel said, which drew smiles from the crowd.

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Lynaugh graduated from Stillwater Area High School in 2001, and he worked as a correctional officer at the Stillwater prison and Ramsey County sheriff's office.

In December 2007, Lynaugh was one of 45 who graduated from the St. Paul police academy. It was the largest police class in 30 years, but still a tightly knit group. Lynaugh's classmates and Eastern District officers, where he'd been assigned to patrol, lined the steps of the cathedral and saluted as officers carried his America flag-draped casket up.

Lynaugh loved spending time with his three dogs and was notorious for keeping his cars and yard in pristine shape, said officer Louis Ferraro in his eulogy. "His lawn was mowed to an exact height, always deep green and lush with perfectly mowed lines and stripes," he said. "Not one weed, not one dandelion. If you wanted to walk on his lawn, you better have taken off your shoes."

One time, Lynaugh tried to pick up golf as a hobby. He spent hundreds of dollars on equipment, only to play "what is described as probably the worst two rounds of golf anyone has ever seen," Ferraro said. "It was also quite comical to watch a 6-foot-5, 275-pound gentle giant trying to hit that little white ball, swearing, kicking the grass and getting all frustrated."

Ferraro also remembered Lynaugh's generosity -- he bought dinner for people he'd never met and took a dog injured by a vehicle to an animal hospital, personally paying for the emergency treatment.

"It didn't matter what he was doing, Josh was either all in or not at all," Ferraro said. "There was no halfway or no in-between for Josh. And Josh was all in. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. He had a passion for everything he was doing and everything he was working on."

Lynaugh was especially passionate about being a St. Paul officer.

"Just like his father, Josh wanted to work 20 years on the street as a street cop," Ferraro said. Everyone knew that Lynaugh loved to drive fast. It "was because he wanted to be the first officer on scene," Ferraro said. "He wanted to be the one to save that life, to help that victim or to arrest that suspect."

Lynaugh was highly decorated, with 16 commendations, and letters of commendation or appreciation in his personnel file. He twice received the department's Life Saving Award.

Lynaugh's interment was at Fairview Cemetery in Stillwater. A riderless St. Paul police horse followed the hearse through the cemetery's gates. A bell tolled 321 times, one for each Minnesota officer lost in the line of duty. Another bell was rung 10 times, once for each year of service Lynaugh gave various agencies.

Neuberger, who heads the police Eastern District, said he and Tim Lynaugh were extremely proud that their children chose to follow in their footsteps and become St. Paul officers.

Tim Lynaugh had pinned his own badge, No. 686, on his son the day he graduated from the St. Paul police academy. And Josh Lynaugh looked up to his father: "Josh's hero was his dad. ... Tim was his role model," Ferraro said.

During his eulogy, Neuberger read from the letter that the elder Lynaugh annually shared with his son, never knowing the last time he sent it would be the day Josh Lynaugh was fatally injured.

It ends: "Go home at the end of each shift, no matter what. I love you."